Grade -- A Shead is valuable on a number of different levels. If healthy, he is a quality starting cornerback. He started 15 games last season and played at a high level. He's versatile, too. Shead has been trained at both safety spots, has experience playing nickel and was the Seahawks' special-teams captain last season. He's a positive influence in terms of culture as well, having worked his way up from an undrafted free agent to the practice squad to a starter.

What it means: The Seahawks have another option at cornerback. Shead's recovery could take him into Week 3 or Week 4 of next season. And even then, he might not look like the same player he was last year. But Seattle is giving itself options in hopes that one will pan out. In addition to Shead, Jeremy Lane, Neiko Thorpe, Perrish Cox, Demetrius McCray and DeAndre Elliott are among the players set to compete for the right cornerback job. And the draft is loaded with corners who fit what the Seahawks are looking for. It would be no surprise if next season's Week 1 starter is not currently on the roster.

What's the risk? The risk is that Shead has a tough time getting physically right after suffering the injury in the divisional round of last season's playoffs. But even then, he can serve a backup/special-teams role. And given that the Seahawks agreed to guarantee $1 million, they obviously believe his rehab is going well. Had Shead stayed healthy through the playoffs, he might have received a long-term contract this offseason. At the very least, he likely would have been tendered at the second-round level, which would have paid him $2.746 million for 2017. Instead, he'll look to get healthy and cash in next offseason.